NIST TIME AND FREQUENCY BULLETIN 

NIST IR 6636-09 

NO. 573 SEPTEMBER 2005

 

1. GENERAL BACKGROUND INFORMATION........................................................................................... 2

 

2. TIME SCALE INFORMATION ............................................................................................................... 2 

 

3. PHASE DEVIATIONS FOR WWVB AND LORAN-C ...............................................................................4 

 

4. BROADCAST OUTAGES OVER FIVE MINUTES AND WWVB 

 PHASE PERTURBATIONS..................................................................................................................... 5 

5. NOTES ON NIST TIME SCALES AND PRIMARY STANDARDS........................................................... 5 

6. BIBLIOGRAPHY .......................................................................................................................................5 

 

7. SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS ............................................................................................................... 7 

 

This bulletin is published monthly. Address correspondence to: 

 

Eyvon M. Petty, Editor 

Time and Frequency Division 

National Institute of Standards and Technology 

325 Broadway 

Boulder, CO 8O3O5-3328 

(3O3) 497-3295 

Email: pettye@boulder.nist.gov

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, CARLOS GUTIERREZ, Secretary

TECHNOLOGY ADMINISTRATION, Michelle O’Neill, Act. Under Secretary of Commerce for Technology 

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY, William A. Jeffrey, Director 

 

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1. GENERAL BACKGROUND INFORMATION 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THIS BULLETIN

ACTS - Automated Computer Time Service 

BIPM - Bureau International des Poids et Mesures 

Cs - Cesium standard 

GPS - Global Positioning System 

IERS - International Earth Rotation Service 

LORAN - Long Range Navigation 

MC - Master Clock 

MJD - Modified Julian Date 

NVLAP - National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program 

NIST - National Institute of Standards and Technology 

NOAA - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ns - nanosecond 

SI - International System of Units μs - microsecond 

TA - Atomic Time ms - millisecond 

TAI - International Atomic Time s - second 

USNO - United States Naval Observatory min - minute 

UTC - Coordinated Universal Time 

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

2. TIME SCALE INFORMATION 

 The values listed below are based on data from the IERS, the USNO, and NIST. The UTC(USNO,MC) - UTC(NIST) values are 

averaged measurements from all available common-view GPS satellites (see bibliography on page 5). UTC - UTC(NIST) data are 

on page 3. 

 0000 HOURS COORDINATED UNIVERSAL TIME 

AUG 2005 MJD UT1-UTC(NIST) 

 (±5 ms) 

UTC(USNO,MC) - UTC(NIST) 

 (±20 ns) 

4 53586 -602 ms -5 ns 

11 53593 -601 ms -7 ns 

18 53600 -601 ms -10 ns 

25 53607 -604 ms -10 ns 

 

 The master clock pulses used by the WWV, WWVH, and WWVB time-code transmissions are referenced to the UTC(NIST) time 

scale. Occasionally, 1 s is added to the UTC time scale. This second is called a leap second. Its purpose is to keep the UTC time 

scale within ±0.9 s of the UT1 astronomical time scale, which changes slightly due to variations in the Earth’s rotation. 

NOTE: A positive leap second will be added at the end of December 2005.

 Positive leap seconds, beginning at 23 h 59 min 60 s UTC and ending at 0 h 0 min 0 s UTC, were inserted in the UTC 

timescale on 30 June 1972, 1981-1983, 1985, 1992, 1993, 1994, and 1997, and on 31 December 1972-1979, 1987, 1989, 

1990,1995, and 1998. 

 The use of leap seconds ensures that UT1 - UTC will always be held within ±0.9 s. The current value of UT1 - UTC is called the 

DUT1 correction. DUT1 corrections are broadcast by WWV, WWVH, WWVB, and ACTS and are printed below. These corrections 

may be added to received UTC time signals in order to obtain UT1. 

 -0.2 s beginning 0000 UTC 14 February 2002 

 -0.3 s beginning 0000 UTC 24 October 2002 

DUT1 = UT1 - UTC = -0.4 s beginning 0000 UTC 03 April 2003 

 -0.5 s beginning 0000 UTC 29 April 2004 

 -0.6 s beginning 0000 UTC 17 March 2005 
3 

 

The difference between UTC(NIST) from UTC has been within +/–100 ns since July 6, 1994. The table below shows 

values of UTC - UTC(NIST) as supplied by the BIPM in their Circular T publication for the most recent 310-day period in 

which data are available. Data are given at ten-day intervals. Five-day interval data are available in Circular T. 

0000 Hours Coordinated Universal Time 

DATE MJD UTC-UTC(NIST) ns 

Jul. 28, 2005 53579 -1.9 

Jul. 18, 2005 53569 4.3 

Jul. 08, 2005 53559 8.4 

Jun. 28, 2005 53549 10.5 

Jun. 18, 2005 53539 15.6 

Jun. 08, 2005 53529 14 

May 29, 2005 53519 8.4 

May 19, 2005 53509 5.7 

May 09, 2005 53499 3.4 

Apr. 29, 2005 53489 1.4 

Apr. 19, 2005 53479 1.8 

Apr. 09, 2005 53469 0.6 

Mar. 30, 2005 53459 -1.1 

Mar. 20, 2005 53449 -2.2 

Mar. 10, 2005 53439 -3.6 

Feb. 28, 2005 53429 -2.2 

Feb. 18, 2005 53419 -1.8 

Feb. 08, 2005 53409 -1.8 

Jan. 29, 2005 53399 -1.7 

Jan. 19, 2005 53389 0.8 

Jan. 09, 2005 53379 1.3 

Dec. 30, 2004 53369 3.5 

Dec. 20, 2004 53359 4.2 

Dec. 10, 2004 53349 5.1 

Nov. 30, 2004 53339 4.7 

Nov. 20, 2004 53329 2.5 

Nov. 10, 2004 53319 2.6 

Oct. 31, 2004 53309 3.4 

Oct. 21, 2004 53299 1.4 

Oct. 11, 2004 53289 3.7 

Oct. 01, 2004 53279 3.5 

 
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3. PHASE DEVIATIONS FOR WWVB AND LORAN-C

WWVB - The values shown for WWVB are the time differences between the time markers of the UTC(NIST) time scale 

and the first positive-going zero voltage crossover measured at the transmitting antenna. The uncertainty of 

the individual measurements is ±0.5 μs. The values listed are for 1300 UTC. 

LORAN-C - The values shown for Loran-C represent the daily accumulated phase shift. The phase shift is measured by 

comparing the output of a Loran receiver to the UTC(NIST) time scale for a period of 24 h. If data were not 

recorded on a particular day, the symbol (-) is printed. The stations monitored are Baudette, ND (8970-Y) and 

Fallon, NV (9940). The monitoring is done from the NIST laboratories in Boulder, Colorado. 

Note: The values shown for Loran-C are in nanoseconds. 

UTC(NIST)-WWVB 

(60 kHz) UTC(NIST) - LORAN PHASE (ns)

ANTENNA PHASE LORAN-C (BAUDETTE) LORAN-C (FALLON) 

DATE MJD (μs) (8970) (9940) 

08/01/05 53583 5. 65 -48 +174 

08/02/05 53584 5. 65 +17 +101 

08/03/05 53585 5. 65 +221 -168 

08/04/05 53586 5. 65 +148 +182 

08/05/05 53587 5. 65 -196 +401 

08/06/05 53588 5. 65 +22 +68 

08/07/05 53589 5. 65 -6 +92 

08/08/05 53590 5. 65 -30 -72 

08/09/05 53591 5. 65 -77 +198 

08/10/05 53592 5. 65 +227 +224 

08/11/05 53593 5. 65 +37 -87 

08/12/05 53594 5. 65 +174 +259 

08/13/05 53595 5. 65 -171 -25 

08/14/05 53596 5. 65 +26 -10 

08/15/05 53597 5. 65 -314 -195 

08/16/05 53598 5. 65 -269 -150 

08/17/05 53599 5. 65 +88 +42 

08/18/05 53600 5. 65 -15 +173 

08/19/05 53601 5. 65 +18 -311 

08/20/05 53602 5. 65 +3 +217 

08/21/05 53603 5. 65 +65 +127 

08/22/05 53604 5. 65 -240 +10 

08/23/05 53605 5. 65 -64 -73 

08/24/05 53606 5. 65 +126 -112 

08/25/05 53607 5. 65 -106 +274 

08/26/05 53608 5. 65 +312 +45 

08/27/05 53609 5. 65 -31 +31 

08/28/05 53610 5. 65 +58 +74 

08/29/05 53611 5. 65 -25 +22 

08/30/05 53612 5. 65 -2 +267 

08/31/05 53613 5. 65 +30 +248 
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4. BROADCAST OUTAGES OVER FIVE MINUTES AND WWVB PHASE PERTURBATIONS 

OUTAGES OF 5 MINUTES OR MORE PHASE PERTURBATIONS 

2 ms 

Station AUG 

2005 

 MJD Began 

UTC 

Ended 

UTC 

Freq. AUG 

2005 

MJD Began 

 UTC 

End 

UTC 

WWVB 

WWV 

WWVH 

5. NOTES ON NIST TIME SCALES AND PRIMARY STANDARDS 

 Primary frequency standards developed and operated by NIST are used to provide accuracy (rate) input to the BIPM. NIST-7 was 

the U.S. primary standard from 1994 to 1999, when it was replaced by NIST-F1, a cold-atom cesium fountain frequency standard. 

The uncertainty of NIST-F1 is currently about 1 part in 1015. 

 The AT1 scale is run in real-time by use of data from an ensemble of cesium standards and hydrogen masers. It is a free-running 

scale whose frequency is maintained as nearly constant as possible by choosing the optimum weight for each clock that contributes 

to the computation. 

 UTC(NIST) is generated as an offset from our real-time scale AT1. It is steered in frequency towards UTC by use of data published 

by the BIPM in its Circular T. Changes in the steering frequency will be made, if necessary, at 0000 UTC on the first day of the 

month, and occasionally at mid-month. A change in frequency is limited to no more than ± 2 ns/day. The frequency of UTC(NIST) is 

kept as stable as possible at other times. 

 UTC is generated at the BIPM using a post-processed time-scale algorithm and is not available in real-time. The parameters that 

we use to generate UTC(NIST) in real-time are therefore based on an extrapolation of UTC from the most recent available data. 

 

6. BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Allan, D.W.; Hellwig, H.; and Glaze, D.J., "An accuracy algorithm for an atomic time scale," Metrologia, Vol.11, No.3, pp.133-138 

(1975). 

Allan, D.W.; Davis, D.D.; Weiss, M.A.; Clements, A.; Guinot, B.; Granveaud, M.; Dorenwendt, K.; Fischer, B.; Hetzel, P.; Aoki, S.; 

Fujimoto, M.; Charron, L.; and Ashby, N., “Accuracy of International Time and Frequency Comparisons Via Global Positioning System 

Satellites in Common-view,” IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, Vol. IM-34, pp.118-125, 1985. 

Jefferts, S.R.; Shirley, J.; Parker, T.E.; Heavner, T.P.; Meekhof, D.M.; Nelson, C., Levi, F.; Costanza, G.; De Marchi, A.; Drullinger, 

R.; Hollberg, L.; Lee, W.D.; and Walls, F.L., “Accuracy evaluation of NIST-F1,” Metrologia, Vol. 39, pp. 321-336, (2002). 

Lewandowski, W. and Thomas, C.; “GPS Time transfer,” Proceedings of the IEEE, Vol. 79, pp. 991-1000, 1991. 

Shirley, J.H.; Lee, W.D.; Drullinger, R.E.; “Accuracy evaluation of the primary frequency standard NIST-7,” Metrologia, Vol. 38, pp. 

427-458, (2001). 

Weiss, M.A.; Allan, D.W.; “An NBS Calibration Procedure for Providing Time and Frequency at a Remote Site by Weighting and 

Smoothing of GPS Common View Data,” IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, Vol. IM-36, pp. 572-578, 1987. 
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Table 7.1 lists parameters that are used to define UTC(NIST) with respect to our real-time scale AT1. To find the value of 

UTC(NIST) - AT1 at any time T (expressed as a Modified Julian Day, including a fraction if needed), the appropriate 

equation to use is the one for which the desired T is greater than or equal to the entry in the T0 column and less than the 

entry in the last column. The values of xls, x, and y for that month are then used in the equation below to find the desired 

value. The parameters x and y represent the offset in time and in frequency, respectively, between UTC(NIST) and AT1; 

the parameter xls is the number of leap seconds applied to both UTC(NIST) and UTC as specified by the IERS. Leap 

seconds are not applied to AT1. 

Table 7.1 

UTC(NIST) - AT1 = xls + x + y*(T −T0) 

Month x ls

(s) 

x 

(ns) 

y 

(ns/d) 

 T0

(MJD) 

Valid until 0000 on: 

(MJD) 

 Oct 05 -32 -283719.95 -39* 53644 53675 

 Sep 05 -32 -282549.95 -39 53614 53644* 

 Aug 05 -32 -282081.95 -39 53602 53614 

 Aug 05 -32 -281350.45 -38.5 53583 53602† 

 Jul 05 -32 -280156.95 -38.5 53552 53583 

 Jun 05 -32 -279617.95 -38.5 53538 53552 

 Jun 05 -32 -278993.95 -39.0 53522 53538† 

 May 05 -32 -277784.95 -39.0 53491 53522 

 Apr 05 -32 -277160.95 -39.0 53475 53491 

 Apr 05 -32 -276613.55 -39.1 53461 53475† 

 Mar 05 -32 -276066.15 -39.1 53447 53461 

 Mar 05 -32 -275403.5 -39.0 53430 53447† 

 Feb 05 -32 -274311.15 -39.0 53402 53430 

 Jan 05 -32 -273102.15 -39.0 53371 53402 

 Dec 04 -32 -272712.15 -39.0 53361 53371 

 Dec 04 -32 -271891.05 -39.1 53340 53361† 

 Nov 04 -32 -270718.05 -39.1 53310 53340 

 Oct 04 -32 -269505.95 -39.1 53279 53310 

 Sep 04 -32 -268723.95 -39.1 53259 53279 

 Sep 04 -32 -268330.95 -39.3 53249 53259† 

 Aug 04 -32 -267898.65 -39.3 53238 53249 

 Aug 04 -32 -267110.65 -39.4 53218 53238† 

 Jul 04 -32 -266716.65 -39.4 53208 53218 

 Jul 04 -32 -265892.4 -39.25 53187 53208† 

† Rate change in mid-month 

†† Rate change one day early 

*Provisional value 
 

7. SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS 

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